Bring You Back to Me
by shizuke
Summary: In my world of dreams, you are always there on that swing. Waiting for me to fetch you home. HaoYoh
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King bla bla bla.

Warning: male/male pairing, incest, AU

Pairing: Hao/Yoh, some Ren/Horohoro

A/N: Something I'm working on. This story actually centres around Hao's past life but that chapter 2 hehe.

* * *

**I dream of you.** _But then light comes and steal you once again from me..._

The alarm clock rang noisily. Sleepily, Yoh reached out his hand to shut it off. As he closed his eyes and wandered back to sleep again, the door of his room slid open. "Yoh, don't you dare go back to sleep! Go clean the bathroom," ordered Anna, throwing a wooden bucket and a mop towards him.

Yoh groaned. Ever since the Shaman Fight ended (or was held off till further announcement from the Great Spirit), Anna had been working to make their home into a running onsen (hot spring) resort. They've gotten a few customers lately.

But since Anna was the self-declared okami (lady in charge of an onsen), that made Yoh and the rest the staff. Ryu was stationed at the kitchen, Faust VIII was the doctor of the establishment, and Horohoro had welcoming and counter duty. That left Yoh, Manta and Ren to cleaning duty.

However, on days when Horohoro returned to Hokkaido, Ren went back to China, Manta had classes at cram school, Ryu disappeared to go biking or hang out with his old friends and Faust VIII went on a honeymoon with Eliza, Yoh had to do all the work.

Luckily, days like these were rare since everyone enjoyed working there (with the exception of Ren who refused to admit it) and being together.

After cleaning up the bathrooms with Ren's help, the whole staff of Asakura Onsen Resort gathered at the dining area and had breakfast together. As Horohoro took his bowl of rice from Ryu, he turned his head from side to side as though looking for something. "Hey, where is that guy?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh he went out to shop for groceries," said Ryu.

"Should we wait for him?" asked Faust VIII.

"That bastard can feed himself later. I'm hungry,' said Ren.

"Anou…"

"Ren's right," said Anna. "It's his fault for taking so long."

"Anou…"

At that moment, Manta stepped into the dining area and bade good morning to everyone. 'Just in time for breakfast," he said happily as Horohoro passed him a bowl of rice. "Um, it feels like there's someone missing."

"Yeah, that guy's gone out grocery shopping," said Horohoro. "He hasn't come back yet."

"Anou…"

Ren slammed his chopsticks onto the table. "If you've got something to say just say it! Don't keep on going 'anou, anou', it's annoying the hell out of me."

Yoh chuckled sheepishly. "It felt rude to interrupt," he apologized. "Anyway, who are you guys talking about?"

"It's too early in the morning to try and make jokes, Yoh," reprimanded Anna in a monotone.

"Huh?" Yoh scratched his head, really having no idea who his friends were talking about. "Really, who are you talking about? I don't remember anyone else who works with us here."

"Of course you don't, danna ('master'/ what Ryu calls Yoh in the anime)," said Ryu. "He doesn't exactly work here, does he?"

"Chocolove?" tried Yoh, jogging his memory to recall who his friend could be referring to.

They stared at him in blank confusion. Manta laughed. "What are you talking about, Yoh-kun? Chocolove doesn't live here. He's in America now."

"Lyserg-kun then?" tried Yoh again.

"Like I said, it's too early for this kind of lame jokes," said Anna, throwing her chopsticks at Yoh in annoyance. "Run ten laps around the house and clean the onsen when you're done."

"T.T"

* * *

Five hours later…

Yoh wiped the sweat off his forehead as he finished airing out the last futon. Then Ren suggested that they have a fight against each other to practice their skills once again. But Yoh declined, saying that they should let Amidamaru and Bason enjoy their time drinking with Mosuke.

"Oi," said Horohoro appearing from inside the house. "That guy hasn't come back yet. Anna asked me to tell you guys to go out and look for him."

"Hmph, why should I leave to find that idiot? He probably 'lost' his way here again," said Ren with a scowl.

"Yeah, I know. It's obvious why he keeps getting 'lost'," said Horohoro with a smirk. "If I had the job of running errands like him, I'd probably get lost on purpose too." He slid an arm around Ren's shoulders.

Ren blushed and smacked his arm away. "Don't think that I would go looking for you even if you get lost for a month!"

Horohoro laughed and pecked him on the cheek. "Then I'll stay lost till you come look for me then."

By now, questions marks were floating around Yoh's head. What were they talking about? Getting lost on purpose? Running errands? And there was that guy that they keep talking about, _who_ were they talking about?

The blue-haired Ainu jumped high in the air as Ren tried to attack him with his Kwan-Do, cheeks redder than a tomato. Yoh merely laughed. It was so nice seeing the two of them together like that.

"What are you laughing at?" exclaimed Ren.

"It's so cute seeing both of you in love," said Yoh, grinning cheekily. For that comment, Yoh almost lost his head. He swallowed. "Now, now, that is very…sharp," said Yoh nervously as he tried to nudge the blade of the Kwan-Do away from his neck.

"Hmph, we're not the only ones," said Ren with an accusing tone. He jabbed his finger at Yoh. "You're in a relationship too."

Yoh chuckled and scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, but it's too scary to do anything with Anna."

"…what are you talking about?" asked Ren. "You broke it off with her after the Shaman Fight."

"EH?"

"Yeah," nodded Horohoro. "We even remember you telling her that she was like a sister to you. But she has another boy trying to woo her now anyway."

Yoh frowned slightly, trying to absorb the information they were telling him. That didn't sound right. Wasn't Anna his arranged fiancée? If he broke it off with her, then who was he with? "Then I'm not in a relationship anymore, right?"

Horohoro raised both eyebrows. "What about that guy? Didn't you used to tell us that you would never leave him no matter what?"

"No way," said Yoh shaking his head. "My parents will never accept it anyway. They're determined to continue the shaman bloodline so they won't accept anyone that isn't a shaman. That's how I ended up with Anna in the first place."

"He _is_ a shaman," said Ren. "What's going on with you today? You act like you don't know or you've forgotten all this."

Yes, this day had been very confusing to him. He didn't remember any of this: breaking up with Anna, having another lover…

"You better go out and look for him," said Horohoro, "or we won't get the groceries."

* * *

Yoh set out from his house, uncertain on where to start searching. The thing is, he didn't even know who he was searching for! When he tried asking, everyone thought he was trying to pull a joke. Horohoro and Ren were helpful though.

"_Try the hill behind the cemetery," suggested Horohoro._

"_That bastard in probably waiting for you there," said Ren._

That was the part Yoh didn't understand the most. If they knew where this guy was going to be, why didn't they go get him themselves?

"_Because he won't come back unless it's you," said the Ainu._

Yoh sighed, flipping through his memories again to see if anything matched with today's weird events. He didn't remember any guy that lived with them but didn't work at the resort. Truly, he couldn't recall.

He saw the hill and start running towards it. If he came back late, Anna might not let him have dinner. He saw a shady tree on the apex of the hill. There was a swing hanging from one of its stronger branches. There was someone playing on the swing. Could he be the one? The one his friends kept talking about? The one he was supposedly in love with?

He climbed the hill and by the time he reached the top, the sky was already starting to darken. He saw two bags of groceries at the foot of the tree. This must be the guy. But Yoh could only see his back. He was still swinging. Long dark hair cascaded down his back and that all too familiar poncho…

"Oi, everyone's waiting for you to get back with the groceries," said Yoh. "…what are you doing here?"

He stopped swinging and looked over his shoulder. Yoh's heart stopped for a second. It was him.

Hao.

"Shouldn't it be obvious by now?" asked the longhaired shaman. "I'm surprised you took so long to come look for me." When he saw confusion written all over Yoh's face, he chuckled. "Whenever I get sent out to do an errand, I would never come back until you fetched me."

'…what are you talking about?" asked Yoh. _You should've died. How can you sit there before me so casually? _Tears started to well in Yoh's eyes.

"You are always so busy in that onsen resort, I can never spend enough time with you," said Hao with a small smile. He beckoned for Yoh to come closer. When Yoh did, Hao swiftly sat him on his lap and wrapped his arms around Yoh's waist.

It was then that the tears started to fall. Hao brought his hand to wipe away his tears. "What are these tears for? Why are you crying?"

_I thought you could never come back. I thought I had really killed you. I didn't understand, I still don't. But I love you so much it hurts._

Hao buried his head into Yoh's neck. "I know. I know it hurts. I've experienced it too." _Three lifetimes, I loved you for that long. _"That's why; I hate myself for doing this to you."

"Doing what?"

"When you woke up, you didn't remember me, did you?"

Yoh shook his head. "I thought you were dead. But for some reason, the others knew."

Hao laughed but his laugh seemed to be full of sadness. "You don't remember this, because it doesn't exist."

Yoh pulled away from Hao slightly. "What do you mean?"

"No matter how real it seems, or how you and I want it to be real, it isn't," said Hao releasing Yoh. "You don't remember because this is a dream."

"No…no…it isn't. Don't say that."

Hao stood up. "I always wait for you to fetch me here on this swing. It will be the same in your next dream and the next. But it will only remain as a dream." He was slowly fading. Yoh reached out to grab him in desperation but his hand went right through him.

The older shaman smiled sadly at him. "I love you."

* * *

Yoh sat up, tears trickling down his face. It was two hours before he set his alarm to ring. He wiped the tears with the back of his hand. Hao hadn't lied after all. It had been all a dream.

He remembered now. Every night he would have the same dream. He would dream that his brother hadn't died and that he was living with them. He would dream that Hao was his lover and that they were happy together living in Asakura Onsen Resort.

Whenever Hao went out to do some errand for Anna, he would wait for Yoh on that swing. He would wait for Yoh to come bring him home so that they could enjoy being alone with each other on the way home.

It was true that Yoh had broken it off with Anna. And the part where Anna had worked to open the onsen resort where she was the okami and he and his friends were the staff, that was all true. The only thing missing was Hao.

He was gone. Yoh had killed him during the Shaman Fight. And no amount of dreams could bring him back.

Why he felt this way, Yoh couldn't explain. Love could not be explained. Long after the Shaman Fight, Yoh still loved his brother, even if he was not there for Yoh to love.

* * *

The alarm clock rang noisily. Anna slid open Yoh's door annoyed. "Stop that alarm! And go wash the bathroom before breakfa—"

The futon was empty. "Amidamaru!" called Anna.

The samurai ghost materialized before her. "Yes, Anna-sama?"

"Where's Yoh?"

"I-I don't know," said Amidamaru. "I was drinking with Mosuke and Bason."

"ANNA!" screamed Horohoro bursting into Yoh's room.

"Don't scream so loud in the morning, you'll wake the guests!" snapped Anna.

"Look what I found on the counter," said Horohoro in an alarmed tone, shoving a slip of paper into Anna's hands.

_Minna-san (everyone),_

_Sorry I didn't inform you earlier but I'm going back to Izumo for some private business. Please don't worry about me because I brought enough oranges with me this time. I'll probably return once my business is done._

_Yoh_

At that moment, Ryu came running into the room as well. "Anna-okami! All the oranges are missing! Eh, what's going on?" He took the slip of paper from Anna's lax hand and read it. "NANIIIII!"

"What? What? Is somebody hurt?" asked Faust VIII rushing into the room.

"What's going on?" asked Ren, annoyance tainting his voice.

Anna was shaking. "How irresponsible of him…how dare he leave all of a sudden without telling me…he will die when he returns." Everyone could see black aura emanating from Anna's being and backed off slightly.

"But Anna-okami, do you know what private business danna is talking about?" asked Ryu.

* * *

The wind chime jingled as the soft breeze passed through the open corridors of the Asakura household in Izumo. Asakura Kino adjusted her sunglasses and wiped them once with the hem of her clothes to make sure that what she was seeing wasn't an illusion.

"Yoh? What are you doing here?"

"Hi, obaa-san(grandma)," greeted Yoh with a grin.

"What is in that big bag of yours?" asked Kino curiously.

"Oranges," replied Yoh with a bigger grin.

"…"

"Oh yeah, obaa-san, I came here to ask a favour from you."

"Ask away," said Kino.

"I want you to teach me some of your itako skills."

For a while, Asakura Kino blinked blankly. "If Yohmei was here right now, he would be laughing himself silly."

"I know." But there was no trace of a laugh on Yoh's face. He looked dead serious.

"What brought this on, Yoh?" asked Kino. "Itako training is tough. Are you sure a lazy ass like you want to take it?"

"Yes."

"Is there a reason? If it's just for calling ghosts, you could ask Anna to do it for you."

"…this is something I have to do myself, baa-san," said Yoh, determinedly. "I want to call Hao back to me."

* * *

What did Hao mean when he said he loved Yoh for three lifetimes?

Find out in the next chapter: Hao's past

* * *

_Tsuzuku (2 b cont.)_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: do not own SK.

* * *

Yoh opened his backpack and patiently put half of his oranges in the fridge in the kitchen. The rest of the oranges he would keep to himself as a midnight snack. Asakura Kino was waiting in the main hall, seated in seiza position and staring gravely at the wall. She appeared to be in deep thought.

Yoh put his backpack in his old room and joined his grandmother in the main hall but he quickly got bored when Kino didn't pay attention to him after the first ten minutes.

"Why do you want to bring that demon back to this realm?" asked Kino. "In all his three lifetimes, he has brought nothing but shadow and misery. All who lived under him lived in fear. He is amongst those who should never be resurrected."

She turned to look at Yoh to gauge his reaction but the young boy had gotten bored and had put his orange headphones over his ears listening to some music.

"You idiot grandson!" screamed Kino, beating him with her walking stick. "Why don't you pay attention when I'm talking about something serious!"

Yoh ran around the main hall, running away from his energetic grandmother for several minutes before tripping over his own feet and falling flat on his face. Kino pinched the bridge of her nose with disbelief. To think that this was the heir of the all-noble Asakura clan… "It's a good thing I got Anna for you. She would make a good job out of you after you two are wed."

"Obaa-san," said Yoh, shifting himself into a sitting position, "there's something I forgot to tell you…"

(After a few seconds of explanation…)

"YOU BROKE OFF THE ENGAGEMENT WITH ANNA!"

After some more running away on Yoh's part and some more threatening from Kino, the two Asakuras settled for a peaceful truce so that Yoh could convey more properly the reason he was in Izumo.

"Obaa-san," started Yoh, "I've been seeing Hao in my dreams. And I think there is a reason for it."

"Of course," said Kino, lighting her pipe. "Your soul is originally his. It is no surprise that you sometimes think of him."

"I don't think that's all there is to it," said Yoh. "If there had been any other way, I would not have killed him. But now more than ever, I want to bring him back. And I want you to teach me how."

Kino inhaled from her pipe deeply and exhaled. "This is unlike you. The Yoh I know, the lazy one, would've simply asked me to do the summoning for him instead of learning how to do it himself."

Truth be told, that option had occurred to Yoh. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Actually, obaa-san, I don't think you can do it even if I wanted you to."

Kino's eyes became downcast after hearing this. Yoh was right. She couldn't do it. She hadn't tried it before, but thinking about it theoretically, Hao's soul was powerful enough to push away her summons and even endanger her own soul. "Then, what makes you think you can do it, Yoh?"

Yoh smiled and placed a hand on his chest. "He will accept me. He will come back to me."

Asakura Kino laughed lightly. "Asakura Hao only accepts one person and that is himself."

"How do you know that, obaa-san?" asked Yoh.

Kino tapped the back of her pipe against her temple. "Well actually, there is one more person that Asakura Hao accepts. This person was recorded in his writings in his first lifetime as the dai onmyoji of Asakura. A similar person was also recorded from his letters in his second lifetime which we have acquired from the archives of the Patch people. Do you want to hear it? This person from Hao's past."

Yoh was carefully peeling the skin of an orange with his tongue sticking out in concentration.

"PAY ATTENTION!" shrieked Kino, snatching the orange and hiding it inside her robe. Yoh let out a cry of dismay before pouting and promising to pay attention to Kino's story. "It starts like this…

"In his first lifetime, Asakura Hao was a dai onmyoji, the most powerful in the Asakura household and the most in touch with the spiritual world. He was concerned with nothing other than the gain of more power but he was infatuated with a young maiko called Masumoto Yo.

"He met him when he was summoned to a geisha house to dispel a spirit from their storehouse. Hao bought Yo from the geisha house and brought him into the Asakura household."

Yoh stopped his grandmother. "That's all wrong, obaa-san. Hao didn't buy me. And I wasn't a maiko."

"I'm talking about Masumoto YO, not you, Yoh!" exclaimed Kino, poking him sharply on the ribs with her stick. "Now be quiet and don't interrupt me unless it's something smart. Where was I? Ah yes…

"It was no secret that Hao cared deeply about Yo. After a few years, Yo contracted a terrible illness. Hao summoned all the healers to cure him but to no avail. Hao even tried using his furyoku to cure Yo but he was not strong enough. This, I think, was the start of Hao's terrible ideal. He was disgusted with the human healers who could not heal Yo and angry with himself for not being powerful enough to help his lover.

"He started gathering followers who agreed to his no-human world ideal but he also attracted many enemies within the Asakura household. Asakura shamans rebelled against him and sought to destroy him. To weaken Hao, they kidnapped Yo. After that, what took place was considered the worst massacre in shaman history.

"Asakura Hao released all his potential in his anger, killing every shaman and mortal that stood in his way. In his blind fury, Hao had accidentally murdered his beloved as well. He found Yo's face among those killed. It was said that darkness overcame him and stole his will to fight anymore. The remaining shamans subdued and killed him in the night."

Kino paused to drink some tea to wet her throat. Her old eyes did not notice the shiver that ran up Yoh's spine. The story was frighteningly familiar. As if he had heard it before. Yoh quickly returned his attention to his grandmother when she put down her teacup to continue the story.

"That should've been the end but Hao had become too powerful to stay dead. Fuelled by his hatred for humans, he reentered the life cycle for another chance to achieve his human-free world. This time, he was born into a Patch family. As a Patch infant, he was taught to worship the Great Spirit. It was at that time that Hao decided that he needed the Great Spirit to achieve his ambition.

"The Spirit of Fire had also caught his eye. He made plans to make the Spirit of Fire his main spirit. But in his letters, he mentioned something about meeting a quiet boy named Asuka when he was twelve. Asuka was his next door neighbour in the village and had a very weak body.

"Because of this, the Patch chief assigned Hao, who was the strongest boy in the village, to take care of Asuka. Hao soon fell in love with Asuka. He wrote in his letters, 'He has the same presence as Yo. I believe that he is the reincarnation of my beloved.' For several months, Hao hid his relationship with Asuka from public eyes. But after the fourth month, Hao was openly wooing Asuka's sister.

"When he grew older, he married Asuka's sister, Mimoko, and bore a son with her. Not long after, he was appointed as one of the Ten Priests of the village. It was then did he attain the Spirit of Fire as his main spirit and devoured the spirits of the shamans who gathered for the Shaman Fight."

Yoh frowned. "That's mean of him," he said without thinking, "to leave Asuka for his sister."

Kino shook her old head. "Hao did not leave Asuka," she said, ignoring Yoh's confused look. "Asuka left him. When we retrieved Hao's letters from the Patch tribe, there was an obituary compiled together with the letters. The obituary told of Asuka's death. Asuka drowned in a lake and there was no one around to help him.

"I think the only reason Hao married Mimoko was to get into a family which would allow him the position as one of the Ten Priests. But I don't think he ever forgot Asuka. When he was finally defeated in his second lifetime, he vanished only to reappear dead beside Asuka's tomb."

Yoh's head started to throb slightly. He wanted to massage his temples but his hands were trembling slightly.

"Are you okay, Yoh?" asked Kino.

"I'm fine," answered Yoh automatically. "So, what you're saying is Hao is very loyal to love?"

"Hao is beyond loyal," said Kino. "He would've given his life for Yo or Asuka, I think. That's why Yohmei and I have toyed around with the idea of finding the reincarnation of Yo or Asuka in this lifetime to defeat Hao. But we didn't need that in the end, because we have you, Yoh."

"I-I see," said Yoh. Why wouldn't his hands stop trembling? All of a sudden, something pierced his mind like a sharp thin blade impaling his head. He grasped the sides of his head with his hands and fell to the ground in pain.

"Yoh!" exclaimed Kino, dropping her walking stick to check on Yoh. "Are you okay? Yoh, answer me?"

The boy wanted to but couldn't answer his grandmother. Such was the pain that overcame him.

"_Yoh, can you hear me? Yoh?"_ The voice was soft and did not belong to anyone he knew.

'Who are you?' he asked silently.

"_It's me, Yoh. My name is Asuka."_

'A-Asuka? Aren't you the…'

"_Yes, I am the Patch boy who drowned in the lake; the one your grandmother described a moment ago."_

'What are you doing in my head, Asuka?'

"_He has been awakened,"_ said a new voice. This voice was slightly lower than Asuka's but sounded more feminine. _"Hello, Yoh. I am Masumoto Yo."_

Yoh frowned confusedly. 'You are…the maiko…'

"_Yes,"_ confirmed the new voice. _"Funny how our names sound the same, eh?"_ A small chuckle.

'Nice meeting the two of you but, why are you here?' asked Yoh. 'Shouldn't you two be reincarnated?'

"_Indeed,"_ replied Masumoto Yo. _"I have been reincarnated to Asuka…"_

"_And I,"_ said Asuka, _"have been reincarnated into you, Yoh."_

'ME!' exclaimed Yoh. 'That can't be right.'

"_But it is,"_ said Asuka. _"Right now we have awakened within you because he is so near."_

'Who? Who is so near?'

"_Hao,"_ said Yo. _"We can sense his presence. It is so close."_

"_We both loved him, so it is natural for you to love him as well,"_ said Asuka. _"That's why you have those dreams, Yoh."_

"_Both of us have wished happiness with him,"_ said Yo. _"But we are destined to die early and cannot be with him. That is why we keep coming back in search for him. You are the one that can bring him back. You are the one who will remain by his side."_

"_Bring him back, Yoh,"_ pleaded Asuka, _"and tell him for us…that we love him."_

The two voices were fading. 'Wait,' implored Yoh. 'Wait!' But the maiko and Asuka had disappeared, gone into slumber deep within him. The pain in his head was gone. Yoh could finally sit up. Kino breathed out a sigh of relief, unaware of the silent conversation that had taken place between Yoh and his past reincarnations.

"You're going to give me a heart attack, idiot grandson," said Kino. "Yoh? Yoh? Why…why are you crying?"

Yoh touched his cheeks and realized that his grandmother was right. He _was_ crying. Yo and Asuka's years of pent up longing for Hao was conveyed through him. He could feel their sadness and yearning for Hao and he couldn't help but cry.

_I miss you._

"Obaa-san, help me bring back Hao," said Yoh. "Nothing you say or do will change my mind. Please consent me on this."

_I want you._

Kino lowered her eyes sadly. "You love him, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Fine," said Kino after a long sigh. "Do whatever you want. As long as it'll bring back your smile."

_Hear my voice and come back to me.

* * *

_

Only Asakura Yohmei had the key to Hao's shrine. And it took quite some time persuading him to open the shrine for Yoh. He couldn't understand why Yoh wanted to bring back the demon Asakura Hao. "You do understand that you are bringing on the destruction of the world by doing this," he said harshly.

"Hao won't…" started Yoh.

"You don't know that," said Yohmei loudly. "Why do you want to bring him back? Even after he killed so many people and even tried to kill you! Talk some sense into him, Kino!"

Kino bowed her head. "I have given him my blessing." Yoh smiled at her. "And you better give him your blessing too!" she shrieked knocking him on the head with her stick. While Yohmei exclaimed at the pain, Kino snatched the keys to the shrine from him and handed it to Yoh.

"I won't let you!" declared Yohmei as he summoned up his leaf sprites and charged it at Yoh.

Yoh didn't have Amidamaru with him. He even left his swords, his spirit mediums, back at home. He had nothing. But the leaf sprites that came near him gave a small little scream and disappeared. Yohmei stared at his grandson both in awe and fear. "Yoh…when did you get so much furyoku?"

"It's not his," said Kino, eyes widening with realization. "That furyoku isn't his."

Yoh walked up to the shrine, ignoring the star banners that flanked left and right, and put the key in the keyhole.

"But it's around him. That furyoku is protecting him," said Yohmei with disbelief.

"Yoh, stop! Don't open it!" yelled Kino, but it was too late. Yoh had already turned the key in its hole. He quickly jumped back when wind from an unknown source blew the doors of the shrine open. The shrine was fully compressed with furyoku. Untrained shamans who went in there would surely suffocate.

Yohmei fell to his knees. "Where did all this furyoku come from? It's not possible for one to have so much."

Kino agreed. "We have to close the shrine. Yoh, lock the shrine."

But Yoh wasn't listening. He was already taking his first step into the shrine.

"Yoh, you'll get killed if you go in there!" screamed Yohmei. "There's too much furyoku! Your body can't take it!"

Yoh took another step inside. The furyoku in the shrine was so strong it knocked his headphones of his shoulders. But Yoh didn't seem to notice. Kino and Yohmei gasped loudly when they saw that the heavy furyoku avoided Yoh. The furyoku actually parted and made way for Yoh to venture further inside the shrine.

Seated in front of the altar in that shrine was silhouette. He had long dark hair, sharp seductive eyes and a slender but muscular body and he called to Yoh. He did not speak but Yoh could hear him calling him.

_Yoh, come to me._

Yoh steadily made his way to the silhouette. But as he drew nearer, he steps faltered and became unsure. "This is not a dream?" he asked.

The silhouette smiled softly, a smile reserved only for him. _This is half of a dream. _He stood up and opened his arms to receive Yoh. Yoh quickened his steps, running towards the silhouette but a hair's breadth away from him, the silhouette disappeared, leaving Yoh to clutch the empty air. After all, a silhouette was still a shadow. Yoh slumped to the ground and looked at the altar. "I was so close."

_Yoh, I'm sorry. _

"I'll bring you back," whispered Yoh. "I swear it."

* * *

_Tsuzuku (2 b cont.)_


End file.
